SMU Calatrava’s Wave Reflecting Pool

Delta Fountains provided mechanical, electrical and chemical design for the shallow reflecting pool that holds the SMU Calatrava’s Wave, a kinetic sculpture designed by Santiago Calatrava. The Wave uses 129 bronze bars that move in a perpetual rising-and-falling motion to simulate a four-cycle wave in the space above the reflecting pool.

Reflecting Pool Challenges

To achieve a mirror image of the Wave sculpture in the negative-edge pool, the complex project required team coordination between the university, sculptors, staff, engineers, and others.

The Solution

Construction costs for the fountain equipment and sculpture were $1.7 million. The negative-edge reflecting pool, which is only about four inches deep, includes 20 display discharge points and performs at a minimum pumping rate of 3200 GPM at 30 feet TDH. The Wave reflecting pool water flows over an almost invisible edge to a trough beneath the granite tiles.